Jason Rubin named as new THQ president

Jason Rubin has reappeared on the game industry radar in a big way this evening with THQ announcing that the Naughty Dog veteran will take the reins of the company moving forward. Rubin is taking over immediately as President and is in charge of new game development strategy and quite a bit more.

Read on for the announcement!

THQ Inc. announced today that it has appointed Jason Rubin as President, effective immediately. Mr. Rubin, who brings to THQ 20 years of successful experience in the video game and digital sectors, will be responsible for all of THQ’s worldwide product development, marketing, and publishing operations, and will report to Brian Farrell, THQ Chairman and CEO.

Mr. Rubin is acknowledged as one of the leading business and creative forces in the video game industry. He co-founded Naughty Dog, one of the industry’s most successful and critically acclaimed game developers. While at Naughty Dog, Mr. Rubin served as the co-creator and game director of the “Crash Bandicoot” PlayStation and “Jak and Daxter” PlayStation 2 series of games, which combined have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. In 2001, Sony Computer Entertainment America acquired Naughty Dog, and Mr. Rubin led the Naughty Dog team until 2004. Mr. Rubin also co-founded Flektor, a media mashup tool, which was acquired in 2007 by Fox Interactive Media, a division of Newscorp.

“Jason’s proven track record in the industry speaks for itself, and he is one of the brightest minds in the business,” said Brian Farrell. “We believe he can be a game changer and can contribute immensely to executing on our strategy of delivering quality connected core game experiences.”

“THQ has incredible internal and external game development teams, and an exciting slate of games in its development pipeline,” said Jason Rubin. “The recent transformation of THQ into a creator of wholly-owned IP has placed it in a perfect position to leverage future trends in the game business. I look forward to working with the management team and board to realize the company’s goals.”

Rubin’s appointment comes as THQ realigns its focus from a maker of licensed games for broad audiences to a developer of AAA “Core” games for multiple platforms. For Fiscal 2013, the company’s line-up includes wholly-owned IP from Vigil Games (Darksiders II), Volition, Inc. (Saint’s Row: The Third – Enter the Dominatrix), Relic Entertainment (Company of Heroes 2) as well as Metro: Last Light, South Park: The Game and WWE ‘13.

The company also has appointed Jason Kay as its Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Kay, who will report to Mr. Rubin, co-founded Flektor with Mr. Rubin and has served as an executive and advisor to companies such as Activision, Columbia House and Home Box Office during his more than seventeen years in the media and technology business.

THQ also announced that Danny Bilson, EVP Core Games, is leaving to pursue other interests. “Danny has made significant contributions to THQ, and we thank him for his efforts,” said Mr. Farrell. In addition, the company announced that Dave Davis, SVP Core Studios, will be leaving. “Along with Danny, Dave has been instrumental in getting our strong pipeline into production,” Mr. Farrell continued.